Assuring successful change

Pelicam’s ‘Intelligent Projects Network’ event took place on Wednesday 12th September, at the Royal Exchange Grand Café in London. The evening was very successful, with guests networking over drinks and canapés whilst discussing the topic for the evening, ‘sponsorship, complexity and do-ability’.

We asked expert independent speaker and author of The Lazy Project Manager, Peter Taylor, to give a talk, providing an external perspective on the subject-matter. Peter’s background in project management and marketing for the last 27 years, with the last 8 years leading PMOs, enabled him to share his extensive experience of dealing with sponsors. This was supported by his key findings from the research for his new book Strategies for Sponsorship, as he explored what makes a ‘good’ sponsor and called everyone into action in his Campaign for Real Project Sponsors.

There was also a short presentation from Senior Pelicam Practitioner and ex-Head of Project and Portfolio Management at Royal Mail, Alan Ogrizovic. This offered guests an alternative perspective, as Alan used his experience as a practitioner to discuss ways of getting the most out of stakeholders and sponsors, to ensure project success. He supported this with his own industry intelligence, as well as Pelicam’s research into the subject - showing that poor stakeholder involvement is evident in 84% of failed projects.

These talks stimulated some interesting discussion, challenging questions and differing perspectives; as all guests, practitioners and speakers were able to voice their varied experiences. The most significant points raised were surrounding the role of the sponsor and their responsibilities in a typical project. This included their interaction with the project manager, their position within the hierarchy of the organisation, and the difficulties of managing a sponsor that you do not choose to work with. One of the greatest concerns that emerged was the general assumption that sponsors already know how to fulfil their role, resulting in a lack of training available to them.

Overall, it was both an enjoyable and productive evening, involving some in-depth discussion which encouraged guests to reconsider how they can promote good sponsorship. Attendees were also able to develop new contacts and share their own insights, over canapés and drinks. We’d like to thank all our guests for a great evening, and look forward to the next ‘Intelligent Projects Network’.